Domaine Bernard Baudry

Overview

Domaine Bernard Baudry (now run by Matthieu Baudry) is among the top Chinon producers, with a range of single vineyard bottlings that span from easy-drinking sandy-soil cuvées to extraordinary structured wines built for 30–50+ years of aging. The domaine is based in the Chinon appellation. John Gilman rates the 2022s as potentially “historic” for Loire red wines, and Baudry is one of the central reasons for that assessment.

Appellations

• Chinon — multiple cuvées in Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc

Key Wines

• Chinon “les Granges” — vines 25+ years, sandy/gravelly soils near river; early-drinking cuvée; 2023 scored 92
• Chinon “les Grézeaux” — 50+ year-old vines; clay and limestone; serious structure; 2022 scored 94+ (“outstanding”)
• Chinon “le Clos Guillot” — vines planted 1993 and 2000; now entering prime; aged in older barrels; 2021 scored 94
• Chinon “les Mollières” — new addition; higher altitude, yellow limestone/clay; first bottled solo 2020; aged in cement; 2021 scored 93
• Chinon Blanc “le Domaine” — Chenin Blanc, 10–20yo vines, clay/limestone and clay/flint soils; barrel-fermented in 500L tonneaux; 2022 scored 92
• Chinon “Le Rosé” — pale salmon; delicate style; 2023: 90; 2024: 91 (12% abv, “bright and zesty, nicely low in octane”)

Older vintage notes:

• 2011 les Grézeaux: 94 (2025–2065+) — evolving beautifully at 14 years; cassis, espresso, cigar ash, chalky soils; still some buried moderate tannin; starting to drink very well

Style Notes

Matthieu Baudry’s reds combine ripe, sappy black fruit (cassis, dark berries, black cherries) with a beautiful signature of soil — sandy gravel from the river benchs, tuffeau limestone from higher slopes, or clay-limestone from the plateau. The top cuvées (les Grézeaux, Clos Guillot) need 10–15 years minimum before drinking at their peak, but will reward 30–50 years of cellaring. The 2022 vintage in particular is exceptional — lower alcohol than comparably warm vintages (2018, 2020) thanks to harvest timing, and the cooler evenings preserved freshness.

My Tastings

(none yet — the cellar holds Baudry bottles per My Cellar)

Sources

• sources/articles/VFTC/VFTC May-June 2024 #111.txt — Annual Loire Report, Chinon section (pages 103–107): 2023 Granges (92), 2022 Grézeaux (94+), 2022 Chinon Blanc (92), 2021 Clos Guillot (94), 2021 les Mollières (93), 2023 Rosé (90)
• sources/articles/VFTC/VFTC July-August 2025 #118.txt — Annual Loire Report: 2024 Rosé (91, 12% abv); 2011 les Grézeaux (94, “evolving beautifully at 14 years”)